Marshall County finances at 15-year high despite temporary deficit period

Tim Harman, President of the County Council, gave members a financial update during their meeting this week.

A chart detailed the end-of-year cash balances of the county's General Fund, Rainy Day Fund, and the combination of the two for historical perspective.

Harman said the cash balances in both funds have been increasing over the last three years, bringing the county to a 15-year record high.

The chart shows the county ended 2025 with $14,980,763 combined in the two funds. Harman said January 2026 ended with $10,475,000 in the General Fund and $3,991,931 in the Rainy Day Fund, for a total of $14,466,947.

Harman said, "Going into the middle of the year, our low point typically happens in May, just before the next tax draw. Conservatively, I think we will have $6.5 million on hand at our low point in May."

The county will receive a property tax draw in June. Harman said, "We should be looking good at the end of the year."

Harman closed his financial report by explaining the expected cash flow pattern. "The General Fund will run a deficit for the next four or five months—each month until we get our property tax draw," he said. In January, the county's deficit was $513,000. Harman estimated that in June, when the next property tax draw comes in, the county should have approximately $11.4 million at the end of the year if it stays on budget and has no major unexpected expenses.